Enfant Perdu
by Rose Lupus
Summary: Kate finds a little girl in the jungle. Who is she? Jate.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. This disclaimer applies to this and all future chapters.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 1

* * *

Kate rested her against the rough bark of the tree she was climbing, letting her eyes close for a moment.

She could hear the breeze rusting through the treetops, and felt the tree trunk sway slightly beneath her. Kate clung more tightly to the tall tree's trunk, trying to summon the energy she needed to make the climb down.

The stresses of the last two months had been taking their toll on her sleeping pattern; lately she had found herself sleeping lightly or not at all, kept awake by the sound of the surf, noises from the jungle, sand in her bed or clothes, or even, sometimes, nothing at all. Last night had been no exception.

Kate shook herself back to full alertness and tightened her grip when she felt herself slipping downwards, realising with a shock that she had almost fallen asleep twenty feet up a tree. Kate wondered how that would have ended… maybe with Jack handcuffing her to something to prevent her from ever climbing anything again. Or maybe – Kate quickly shut the door on that unpleasant possibility, and concentrated on slithering down the tree to the ground, where it was somewhat safer to take an involuntary nap.

As her feet touched the ground, she let out an exhausted sigh. She turned and, leaning back against the tree, slid to the ground with her heavy eyelids already falling. The dangers of the jungle slipped from her mind as the blessed fog of unconsciousness rolled in.

She never heard of bare feet on dry leaves that signalled the approach of someone who had been watching her from the safety of some nearby bushes…

--

Someone had been watching Kate; something she would normally have noticed in an instant, but had missed in her sluggish state. Kate's observer had watched as she fell asleep at the foot of the tree, and then cautiously crept forward to investigate.

Her small feet and light build raised minimal noise from the jungle floor; soon she stood mere centimetres from the object of her curiosity. The child inspected Kate for a moment, somewhat warily, before apparently deciding she was not a threat, nor likely to become one anytime soon.

The child took another step toward Kate, reaching out a petite hand to touch Kate's springy brown curls and, after a moment's hesitation, stroke her cheek. Kate smiled slightly and murmured indistinctly as she shifted in her sleep. The little girl snatched back her hand when Kate stirred but didn't move to run away.

When Kate settled, the little girl knelt beside her and, ever so slowly, lay down to rest her head on Kate's shoulder. As her eyes began to close, the little girl slipped her thumb into her mouth and relaxed against Kate with an exhausted sigh.

Kate unconsciously moved her arm to cradle the child who had joined her, and they both slept peacefully for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2

* * *

**

Kate stirred from her slumber, feeling oddly refreshed.

She wondered how long she'd been asleep… it had been mid morning when she set out, and now – she could tell through half-opened eyes - it was late afternoon; probably an hour or until sundown. Kate stretched –

And froze.

Something small and warm was sprawled across her front.

Kate looked down and gasped softly – some instinct kept her from making too much noise. It was a child; a little girl, who Kate judged to be no more than two years old, was sleeping peacefully on Kate-the-fugitive-murderer-Austen.

Feeling light-headed at the staggering impossibility of the situation Kate just stared for a while before absently moving her free hand (the other, for some reason, rested on the toddler's back) to stroke the soft brown curls that tickled her chin.

_It's impossible_, thought Kate, _I'm dreaming or… or hallucinating from lack of sleep. There is absolutely NO WAY this can really be happening. _

Although… the warm weight of the child felt so real… and Kate could feel her little heart beating. She could even hear the little sighs she let out every so often.

Kate ran a finger over the child's baby-soft skin and smiled to herself; it was a nice dream, if that's what it was.

The little girl stirred at the gentle touch, causing Kate to catch her breath. The girl twisted a little, revealing the rest of her face. As Kate took in her delicate features and pale, lightly freckled skin, the toddler's deep brown eyes opened and sleepily regarded Kate.

"Hello." Kate whispered nervously.

The toddler's eyes widened and she scrambled off of Kate, almost guiltily, and backed several feet away from her.

"Hey, it's okay," Kate said softly, feeling inexplicably disappointed, "I won't hurt you."

The toddler stayed where she was, silently watching Kate's every move. Kate sighed. She had never had much to do with children, even when she was one herself, and had little idea how to deal with this one.

"Are you hungry?" Kate asked as her own stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten anything since before she'd left that morning.

The child didn't reply, but watched intently as Kate slipped off her backpack and pulled out one of the mangoes she'd picked earlier and a pocket knife. Kate cut a slice of the ripe fruit and slipped it into her mouth, all the while keeping an eye on the little girl who had begun to shuffle back to her, eyes shifting between Kate and the mango.

Kate wordlessly cut another slice and held it out, smiling when she felt it snatched from her palm. She watched from the corner of her eye as the girl took a bite, tasted it, and then proceeded to wolf down the rest of the slice. Kate cut another slice and held it out. This time it the toddler didn't snatch it and dart backward like she thought it was a trap, but stayed next to Kate.

Kate and the little girl worked their way through the rest of the mango; the toddler relaxing by degrees, while Kate took the opportunity to examine her. The little girl was dressed in a knee-length purple cotton dress, white tights and a matching jacket but no shoes. Kate noted there was dirt all over her clothes and skin; particularly on the knees and feet of her tights. She looked like she had been wandering the island for at least a day.

Poor thing, Kate thought, desperately wanting to hug the toddler, but not sure how that would go down.

"I'm Kate." She said, breaking the silence. The little girl looked up at her, seeming to understand Kate, but offered no reply.

"Can you tell me your name?" Kate asked, after a pause, but again received no response. Kate paused, hesitant to ask her next question.

"Were you on the plane?" she almost whispered. The child's eyes snapped up to meet Kate's widened in fear.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3

* * *

**

Kate regretted her words the second they left her mouth; the child's response saw to that.

Her brown eyes filled with fear – no, thought Kate, not fear, terror, all-consuming, heart-breaking terror – at the mention of the plane. In a matter of seconds, all the colour drained from her tiny face, leaving her with a slightly greenish tinge as she began to shake.

Kate had never, _ever_ felt so bad about something in her entire life.

_You idiot_, she berated herself silently, _you callous, gauche, horrible jerk. You just made a baby cry._

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Kate said sincerely, reaching out and rubbing the little girl's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. She was utterly unprepared when the toddler let out a sob and launched herself into her arms, wrapping her own tightly around Kate's neck.

Kate, after recovering from her surprise, awkwardly drew the child onto her lap and hugged her.

"Shh, shh, it's alright, you're okay," Kate told her softly, feeling helpless.

All she could think to do was hold the crying toddler; absentmindedly rocking her back and forth while she spoke.

"It's okay. Nothing's going to hurt you."

After a few agonizingly long minutes, the toddler stopped crying, apparently calmed by Kate's inexpert reassurance.

"Are you okay now?" Kate asked. The little girl nodded against Kate's neck, but didn't shift from her position.

Kate looked around, noticing the daylight was fading; she'd have to leave now to reach camp before it was completely dark.

What about the little girl, she thought, I can't just leave her out here… she's only a baby, and obviously alone. Maybe…

"Would you like to come with me?" Kate asked, praying she wouldn't upset the child again. The toddler sniffed against Kate's shirt before nodding.

Kate awkwardly rose from the ground, both arms supporting the little girl in her arms. She would have laughed if she wasn't still in a state of shock and if it wasn't entirely inappropriate. She really didn't need to hold the toddler at all, since she was firmly latched onto Kate's torso with both her arms and legs.

Kate shifted her burden into a more comfortable position and headed back to the beach through the darkening jungle. Now _this_ was going to take some explaining…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4

* * *

**

Morning light sneaked through a gap into Kate's shelter.

Her eyes opened slowly as she realised she'd slept through the entire night, undisturbed. Kate had arrived back after dark the previous evening, having taken longer than she had estimated carrying the toddler.

The toddler that was once again sleeping, this time curled up against Kate's waist. Kate winced… the little girl was half the reason she had decided to slip into her tent as soon as she had returned. She hadn't been ready to face the barrage of questions and disbelief that was certain to begin once the girl was noticed… who was she? Where did she come from? Where were her parents? How did she survive the jungle? all questions Kate could only guess at the answers for.

Kate turned her attention back to the child who was unwittingly causing her anxiety. She couldn't help but smile; the little girl was still sound asleep, one hand clutching Kate's shirt, the other draped over her own abdomen, with wild brown curls obscuring her face. Kate impulsively tucked the hair behind her ear. It was then she noticed a delicate silver chain around the child's neck. Kate gently tugged it out from under the toddler's collar; it was a sort of charm bracelet, with six letters dangling at intervals.

"Hailey?" Kate read aloud fingering the letters.

The little girl's eyes opened at the sound of her name, and she looked solemnly back at Kate who smiled.

"Good morning Hailey."

Hailey gave Kate a barest hint of a smile before rubbing her eyes and sitting up. Kate sat up too, listening to the sounds of the other survivors moving around the camp.

"Time to face the music, kiddo," Kate said, partially to Hailey and partially to herself.

After taking a few deep breaths to prepare herself, Kate shoved open the tent flaps and stepped out with Hailey close behind.

"Mornin' Freckles!" a familiar voice called out her. Kate winced.

"Morning Sawyer," Kate greeted evenly, turning to face her approaching "neighbour".

"Jeez Freckles, Don–" Sawyer broke off, whatever bit of teasing innuendo he had for her dying in his throat as he noticed the brown-haired toddler who was peering up at him fearfully from behind Kate's leg. Sawyer stared for several beats before finally shutting his mouth. Kate could almost see the gears turning in Sawyer's head; Freckles… kid… Freckles… kid… kid with Freckles? What?

Sawyer was, for the first time in the entire time she had known him, struck speechless.

"What's wrong Sawyer," Kate asked playfully, her nerves suddenly disappearing, "Cat got your tongue?"

Sawyer dragged his eyes from Hailey back up to Kate.

"I'm not the only one who sees that, right?

"Sees what?"

"The little jungle munchkin attached your jeans!"

"Oh," Kate feigned surprise and looked down her young companion, "You mean Hailey?"

Sawyer blinked, fighting for words,

"What?"

"Hailey. That's her name," Kate replied, enjoying her game

"Huh?" he paused, "Where'd she come from? I ain't ever seen her before." Sawyer asked perplexed.

"The jungle," Kate told him casually, as if that were a completely normal and obvious place to find two-year-olds. Kate took Hailey's hand and led her past Sawyer.

"Seeya."

Sawyer stared after them, frowning and clearly doubting the sanity of Kate and/or himself.

"Maybe Jackass was right about staying out of the sun," he muttered, and promptly sat down in the sand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5

* * *

**

Kate and Hailey continued down the beach towards the campfire where everyone usually gathered for breakfast. Kate's mood had been somewhat lightened by Sawyer's reaction, and she felt a little less nervous about introducing Hailey to the rest of the group.

As they approached the campfire, Kate was pleased to notice only four people already there; Claire, Aaron, Charlie and Hurley. _Don't want scare Hailey with too many strangers at once,_ she thought.

Charlie was the first to notice Kate had arrived and tired yet vaguely cheerful voice said,

"Ah, another has arisen from the sleep of the blessed to join we early few!"

Claire and Hurley glanced at her through half-closed eyes and mumbled greetings.

"Aaron woke up early this morning?" Kate deduced.

"Every morning," Claire clarified.

"And Hurley?" Kate questioned.

"Nightmare. Chicken suit." Hurley informed her shortly.

Kate took a seat on a log across from Claire while the as-of-yet unnoticed Hailey stood close to her, regarding Hurley, Charlie and Claire with suspicion and Aaron with interest. After a moment, Charlie spoke again.

"Kate, my mind isn't exactly fully functional right now, but I'm fairly sure you didn't have a toddler last time I checked. Is that recent development, or a figment of my sleep-deprived mind?"

Hurley and Claire's heads shot up in unison, shocked out of their early morning stupor, and they finally registering Hailey's presence.

"What?" Claire said.

"Huh?" said Hurley.

"Kate?" they asked together.

Hailey scrambled into Kate's lap and grabbed a fistful of her shirt, unnerved by all the attention.

"Um… Kate said, wrapping her arms around Hailey, "Kind of recent. I found her in the jungle yesterday."

"The jungle?" Claire echoed.

"Found?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. She was out there by herself… I think she was on the–" Kate glanced down at Hailey, "P-L-A-N-E."

"The pl–?" Charlie started.

"Shh!!" Kate cut him off, "Don't mention the P-word around her"

"Experience?" Claire asked sympathetically.

Kate nodded with a pained look on her face and everyone went silent for a moment, taking in the new information.

"Another island surprise," Charlie summarised, restarting the conversation. "What's next, guitar picks falling from the sky?"

"Maybe polar bears," Hurley suggested.

"We've already had those!" Charlie scoffed.

"Not falling from the sky we haven't," Hurley argued. Charlie blinked, and then promptly changed the subject.

"So… who wants breakfast?"

---------------

Some breakfast and several introductions later, Hailey had become more confident and had vacated Kate's lap. She was currently peering curiously at Aaron who waved his hands at her and smiled. Hailey smiled shyly back at him and looked up at Claire.

"I think he likes you, Hailey," Claire told her.

Hailey smiled more widely and looked over her shoulder at Kate. Kate grinned back a Hailey, who took this as encouragement, taking another couple of steps toward Claire and Aaron.

"She's a quiet little thing," Charlie commented to Kate.

"I'm not sure that she can talk," Kate said, half to herself, "She hasn't said a word since I found her."

"Do you think," Charlie paused, looking at Hailey, "maybe they had her?"

Kate and Charlie sat silently, turning this possibility over in their heads. Perhaps it was true… it had been well over a month since the crash… someone must have been looking after Hailey. How else could she have survived?

"I wouldn't talk either," Charlie said, subdued.

Kate watched Hailey with Aaron for a while before noticing Jack was talking to another survivor further down the beach. _Jack would want to know about Hailey_, Kate thought, _and maybe he could check her over_. Kate looked back at Hailey who was now absorbed in a game of peek-a-boo with Aaron. Kate didn't want to disturb her, not when she was so content.

"Claire," Kate said, "would you be okay with Hailey for a couple of minutes?"

Claire looked up at her friend and nodded, "Sure."

Kate glanced at Hailey again before jogging over to Jack.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Kate," he smiled.

"Jack I've got s–" Kate was cut off by a high-pitched wail and an unfamiliar voice.

"Ka–a–ate!" sobbed the little voice. Kate turned and saw a curly-haired toddler running as fast as she could toward her, stumbling in the sand.

"Kate don't go!" Hailey cried out and threw herself at Kate, clinging tightly when Kate picked her up.

"Don't go, don't go, don't go!" Hailey sobbed desperately in Kate's arms as Jack looked on in shock.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6

* * *

**

Jack heard someone running towards him. Guessing who it was, Jack struggled to wipe the silly grin off his face before he turned.

"Hey," she said, smiling.

"Kate," he greeted and couldn't stop that smile from creeping back onto his face; she looked kind of nervous. He noticed she was unconsciously clutching at the bottom of her shirt as she started to speak.

"Jack, I've got s–" Kate was cut off by the high-pitched wail and unfamiliar voice of a child.

"Ka–a–ate!" sobbed the little voice brokenly. Jack looked past Kate and saw a very little girl in a purple dress running in their direction. _Correction_, thought Jack, _Kate's_ _direction_. She was running to Kate.

"Kate don't go!" the toddler cried out and, when she reached them, threw herself at Kate, who responded automatically, catching the girl and lifting her up.

"Don't go, don't go, don't go!" the child sobbed, her face hidden against Kate's neck, holding on to her tightly. Kate met Jack's eyes briefly looking almost as shocked as Jack felt.

"Shhh, it's alright Hailey," Kate spoke to the little girl in a soft voice Jack had never heard her use before and rubbed her back comfortingly.

Just then Charlie reached them, puffing, with Hurley and Claire with Aaron behind him.

"Sorry Kate," Claire said, a little embarrassed, "she got away from us."

"She's-" Hurley puffed, bending over, "very," puff, "fast."

"What happened?" Kate asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Charlie said, "she just ran."

"I don't think she liked you leaving," Claire stated, "At all."

"Oh," Kate said with a look that was a cross between 'really?!' and 'I-feel-like-the-world's-worst-bitch'. "I'm sorry," she whispered against Hailey's crown.

"Well," Charlie said, trying to lighten the mood, "At least she's not mute."

Kate looked up, a look of realisation crossing her face.

"She said my name," Kate said in surprise, then, speaking to Hailey, "You know my name?"

Hailey looked back at her steadily, apparently recovered from her panic.

"Kate," she said clearly, then began playing with one of Kate's curls, tangling it between her fingers.

"Aww…" Claire cooed as a smile spread across Kate's face, "that's cute."

"I think she's adopted you," said Hurley.

Kate, who looked a little discomforted by Hurley's words, looked back at Jack, who had been staring, speechless. Jack struggled to straighten his face, looking pointedly between 'Hailey' and Kate.

"Um…" she said looking uncomfortable and, Jack thought, vaguely guilty.

Claire seemed to sense Jack's need to talk with Kate alone and not-so-subtly communicated this to Hurley and Charlie with her elbows. The trio quickly retreated back to the campfire.

After a moment of awkward silence, Jack spoke.

"Kate?" he asked, nodding at the toddler in her arms, "Who's this?"

"I was just about to tell you. She… um…" Kate said, noticing the stares Hailey had been attracting, "can we go somewhere private?"

"What?" Jack asked, taken off-guard.

"I mean – I – She – I don't think she likes crowds." Kate stammered quickly, inclining her head towards Hailey, "so…"

_No way_, Jack thought, amused._ Is she blushing?_

"Right. Sure," Jack agreed, saving Kate from further embarrassment.

---------------

Hailey frowned at Jack, her face displaying an emotion somewhere between confusion and interest, with her cheek resting against the base of Kate's neck and her curl-topped head tucked under Kate's chin. She had point-blank refused to be detached from Kate - something Jack considered to be very, very cute - so she there she had stayed where she was for the past twenty minutes while Kate and Jack had spoken about her.

Studying the little girl's features, Jack suddenly noticed something… Hailey's small, lightly freckled face and brown curls reminded him of someone.

_Kate_, he thought, looking back at the woman in question, _she looks kind of like Kate_.

"What?" Kate asked him, "It's the truth! I know it's unbelievable but-"

"It's not that," Jack cut her off "it's just… she looks a little like…"

"Like what?" Kate asked her eyebrows coming together in an expression freakishly similar to the one Hailey had regarded him with just minutes earlier.

Jack burst into laughter, unable to reply.

"What?" Kate asked, a little indignantly, "What's so funny?"

Jack managed to stop laughing long enough to look up at Kate, and doubled up again. Hailey and Kate were wearing identical what's-your-problem expressions; eyebrows quirked at an odd angle, noses scrunched adorably.

"Jack!" Kate said, sounding ready to laugh back at him.

"Sorry," he said, catching his breath, "It's just uncanny."

Kate perplexed expression prompted him to elaborate.

"I mean, how much you two look alike."

"You think she looks like me?!" Kate asked, looking at Hailey.

"It's uncanny," Jack restated, "she could be your daughter, or sister or something."

Kate looked up again slowly, a pensive look upon her face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7

* * *

**

"_You think she looks like me?!" Kate asked, looking at Hailey._

"_It's uncanny," Jack restated, "she could be your daughter, or sister or something."_

_Kate looked up again slowly, a pensive look upon her face._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_No._ Kate thought. _Nuh-uh. _There was absolutely NO WAY this kid could be her daughter. She'd certainly never had a kid. _But a sister… _

Kate found herself staring out into the jungle, considering this, as a new train of thought emerged in her head.

She had guessed at first that Hailey was about two years old, judging by her petite size and apparent lack of speech. After having spent some time with her though, Kate thought now she was probably older… she didn't have much experience with guessing children's ages, but she figured Hailey was about three years old.

So, Hailey must have been conceived about four years ago.

Four years ago Kate had been in Iowa.

Four years ago she hadn't been on the run… because four years ago, HE had still been alive.

_Wayne_, she thought, suddenly feeling ill.

The drunken, abusive, cheating asshole who was never her Dad, but always her father.

_Flashback_

Cedar Falls, Iowa 2002

_Everyone in town seemed to know what was going on. Well, everyone but Kate's mother._

Or maybe she does know, _Kate thought bitterly, as she cleaned up the diner_. It's probably just another example of her letting Wayne walk all over her. Why? Because she _loves _him.

_Kate knew about 'love'. 'Love' was what made you divorce the guy who loves you and is the father of your child for a drunken drop-out. 'Love' was the reason you stayed with that guy even when he beats you up and makes lewd comments to your 12-year-old daughter. 'Love' was what made you deaf and blind to the fact that he was sleeping with other women. _

Love's bullshit, _Kate thought angrily, scrubbing the diner table harder than was necessary._ That's clearer now than ever before.

_Kate knew what everyone was saying, and knew it was true… Wayne had been sleeping with some woman who had moved to town last year, and knocked her up. It had been headline gossip for weeks. _

Poor kid, _Kate thought later, as she locked up_, to have a father like Wayne. No one deserves that.

_End of Flashback_

"Kate?" Jack asked, concerned, "Are you okay?"

Kate looked back up at him, thoughts still churning.

"I'm fine," she answered reflexively.

"Are you sure? You– " Jack started.

"I've got to go," she interrupted him abruptly, getting up with Hailey and leaving before he could try to stop her.

"Kate!" he called after her, just as he had that day. Something made her pause and turn back to him.

"I'm sorry," Kate said, "I just–" she faltered before repeating, "I've got to go."

With that, she turned and ran with Hailey in her arms.

---------

Sometime later, Kate found herself in a clearing she vaguely recognised as one she passed through once before not far from the caves. Dropping to the ground exhaustedly, she deposited Hailey on the ground beside her. Hailey looked back at the direction they came from, before turning her eyes to Kate, frowning. Kate stared back, guessing what was going on in Hailey's head.

"I had to run," Kate said in explanation. Hailey tilted her head slightly to the side, still frowning. Kate shifted her eyes to the ground but could still feel the little girl watching her, waiting.

"I got scared," she admitted softly, looking up at Hailey again.

A flash of understanding and compassion appeared in Hailey's eyes; she knew what it felt like to be scared. The little girl stepped up to Kate's side and hugged her in an attempt to comfort. Kate, after a moment's surprise, wrapped her arms around Hailey and closed her eyes. _She's a sweet little kid_, Kate thought.

After a few minutes, Kate drew back and smiled.

Thinking back to Jack's comment, Kate searched Hailey's face, looking for and finding some of the features she hated on her own. The ones that reminded her of what she was, and of who her father was - not the general she had idolised, but the monster who married her mother.

The hair, her nose, the shape of her mouth…

Kate was certain, as impossible as it was, that this was Wayne's child. The half-sister she'd never seen.

_The eyes must be from her mother,_ Kate thought, looking into Hailey's concerned little brown orbs. _They're nothing like his._

Kate felt inexplicably relieved to have found something in Hailey that wasn't… his. Something to remind her that this little girl wasn't him; didn't have to be like him.

_And neither do I_, Kate thought fiercely, pulling Hailey into another hug. _We don't have be anything like him_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8

* * *

**

Kate stopped near the edge of the jungle and let Hailey slip to the ground. From here they could hear the bustling noise of the camp, something that the survivors seemed unconsciously desperate to maintain to distract themselves from the reality of their isolation. It was if the constant soundtrack of people going about their business somehow made them feel in touch with civilisation. Like the nearest McDonalds was really only just a couple of miles down the beach, and that they weren't _really_ stranded on an island inhabited only by mysterious and malevolent "Others" and crazy French hermit. Kate smiled to herself… it sounded almost laughable in theory. A bit like that crappy science fiction novel she'd read in high school… Snapping at herself back to reality, Kate looked back towards the campsite.

"Here we go again," she announced, holding out her hand to Hailey, who promptly latched onto Kate's index and middle fingers. Kate grinned in amusement as she realised this was because Hailey's little hand wasn't big enough to hold hers.

_She so tiny_, Kate thought in awe, as they stepped out onto the beach. Kate couldn't help the sudden shock of panic that ran through when she realised that she was responsible for this tiny, beautiful little person. Hailey's mother wasn't here – _probably dead_, Kate admitted to herself (how else would Hailey have ended up alone in the jungle?) – and neither was her father. _Not that Wayne Ryan would be any good to Hailey_, Kate winced at the thought and held Hailey's hand more tightly in her own. Kate was Hailey's big sister and probably the closest living relative she had.

_Please don't let me screw this up_, she prayed silently, looking down at Hailey. _She deserves better than that._

---------

"Kate," a familiar voice called, causing Kate to stop and turn around.

"Hi Claire," she smiled. Claire smiled back, noticing Hailey hanging onto Kate's fingers and half hiding behind Kate.

"Hello Hailey," Claire said, smiling at the little girl in question.

"Hello Claire," Hailey whispered; her face half-pressed against Kate's leg.

Claire's eyes widened and her darted up to meet Kate's. Kate shrugged; eyes wide. She was as surprised as Claire to hear Hailey speaking after they'd all decided she must be mute. Although, she had spoken before - when Kate had left her with Claire and the others… maybe that had shocked her out of it?

"Where've you two been?" Claire asked, drawing Kate's attention again. Seeing Kate's blank look, she went on, "Jack was back at least two hours ago. Where were you?"

"In the jungle," Kate said vaguely, her mind wandering back to the revelation that Hailey was her sister.

"Doing what?" Claire queried.

"Just… thinking," Kate said, not ready to share the knowledge she was still struggling with. She also wasn't sure she wanted to start a conversation that might lead to questions about her father. _Our father_, Kate amended, looking down and stroking the baby-soft curls of the child at her side. She wasn't sure what would be worse; slipping up and letting the truth out or having to lie to the first real friends she'd had in years. Either way, a conversation about hers and Hailey's shared genealogy did not strike Kate as a pleasant idea.

"You spent two hours in the jungle _thinking_?" Claire echoed in incredulously.

"Yes," Kate confirmed. Claire gave her a look that clearly prompted further explanation.

"I had a lot to think about," Kate dodged, looking away from Claire. At that moment and she caught sight of Jack watching her with a kind of concerned look on his face. _Must be doing his rounds,_ Kate deduced. _I suppose I should apologise for running away before._ She smiled at him awkwardly. Jack gave her a slightly relieved smile in response before nodding in the general direction of the hatch and waving goodbye. _Hatch duty_, she thought to herself. Kate waved back before turning back to Claire and Aaron. Claire's left eyebrow rose as she looked pointedly between Kate and the direction Jack had disappeared in.

"What?" Kate asked, almost defensively.

"Oh… nothing," Claire said, a knowing look on her face. A smile tweaked at her mouth as she added, "Just… you and Jack."

"Me and Jack?" Kate echoed, seeking further explanation.

"Yeah," Claire grinned cheerfully before turning back towards her shelter, "You and Jack."

Kate frowned, perplexed, before calling after her.

"What's that supposed to mean? Claire?!"

Claire simply laughed and kept walking, leaving a confused and somewhat irritated Kate with Hailey.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9

* * *

**

Kate knew she should go talk to Jack – explain why she ran away – yet her she still was, wandering around the beach with Hailey. _Putting off the inevitable_, she thought. Looking down at the little girl (it still surprised her to find a child walking alongside her); she noticed her face was starting to burn in the sun. _Better get her under cover_, Kate thought, concerned. She barely hesitated before bending down and scooping Hailey up to sit on her hip. Hailey quickly settled into this new situation, laying her head against Kate's shoulder.

They were near Claire's shelter, so Kate headed over there with Hailey.

"Knock, knock!" Kate said softly, seeing Claire was just putting Aaron down for his nap. Claire turned and motioned for Kate to come in.

"I see someone else is out for the count" Claire said, grinning at Hailey.

"What?" Kate looked down at Hailey in surprise. Just as Claire had told her, Hailey was fast asleep in her arms. Kate looked at Claire in surprise, "She was wide awake five seconds ago!"

"Must be time for her nap," Claire shrugged with a smile.

"Oh…" Kate frowned. She hadn't really "I haven't really been around kids before."

"Neither had I," Claire told her, looking over her shoulder at her sleeping son. "You'll pick it up as you go along." Looking back at Kate and Hailey, she said, "How about putting her down on the bed? I bet she's starting to feel heavy."

Kate nodded in agreement and started moving toward the 'bed' of airline seats and blankets behind Claire. Pausing as in idea struck her, she turned back to Claire.

"Claire… I kinda need to talk to Jack. Would you mind if I left Hailey with you for a while?" Claire raised an eyebrow at this.

"I don't mind… but I think Hailey might," Claire said, referring to the incident of that morning.

"I've got a feeling that it might not be a problem, if she knows what's going on." Kate said. Claire nodded and watched as Kate set Hailey down on the bed and gently woke her. Hailey sluggishly looked around at her new surroundings before focusing on Kate with a little smile.

Kate crouched down to Hailey's level to speak to her.

"Hailey, I've got to go talk to someone and I can't take you with me," she began, taking Hailey's little hand in her own, "so I'm going to go away for a little while, and I need you to stay here with Claire and Aaron while I'm gone." Hailey's bottom lip had started to tremble at 'I'm going to go away', so Kate hurried to add, "I promise you I will be back, real soon. Before it gets dark."

Hailey thought about this for a little while before nodding and reaching out for a hug. Kate hugged her back, relieved that it didn't look like they were in for a repeat of that morning.

"Okay," Kate said when she pulled back, "Go back to sleep, sweetie, I'll be back later."

Hailey lay down on the seats and watched sleepily as Kate pulled the blankets up over her and fell asleep again within a minute. Kate smiled and stroked her soft little cheek affectionately. Slowly she stood up and looked at Claire.

"She'll be fine," Claire said, answering Kate's unspoken question. "Go find Jack," she added with a smile. Kate looked back at the sleeping child one more time before she left. _She'll be fine_, she repeated Claire's words to herself silently as she walked away.

---------

"Hey." Kate said softly. Jack looked up at the woman who had just appeared in the doorway.

"Hey back," he returned standing up out of the chair in front of the computer and walking over to her.

"I'm… sorry. About before. Leaving, I mean." Kate stammered. Jack smiled slightly. 'I just..." Kate stopped, taking a deep breath to steady her voice," I needed to think about what you said."

"About Hailey looking like you? Or the daughter part? I'm sorry if I upset you, reminded you of something…" Kate could tell he must have been trying to figure out what he'd said to scare her off and resumed mentally kicking herself for not giving him an explanation earlier. Jack paused, before asking cautiously, "Do you have a kid? Is that what this is about?"

"No!" Kate scoffed, "I haven't got any kids. Why would you think that?"

"It's just…" Jack started, "Well, the way you are with Aaron, and now with Hailey... It just seems like you understand them."

Kate didn't know what to say. Jack thought she understood kids? That she could be somebody's mother?

"Well…" Jack said, breaking the silence, "What were you thinking about then?"

"I think… I think I know who she is." Kate said.

"What?"

"You thought we looked like we were related, right?" Jack nodded at this, obviously wondering where she was going with this. Kate shifted uncomfortably, giving Jack the impression she was almost ready to run again.

"Kate?" he said, laying a hand on her shoulder, startling a pair of green eyes into looking up at him, "What are you trying to tell me?"

Kate looked into his concerned eyes, and realised she had to tell him the truth. She _wanted_ to tell him this truth. It'd been so long…

"Let's sit down" he said, sensing this might take a while. He was mildly surprised when the normally tenaciously stubborn Kate allowed him to steer her to the couch in the next room. She sank gratefully onto the cushioned seat. After a moment she glanced at Jack, now sitting beside her.

"I knew Hailey's father," she said, her voice taking on an odd detached quality. "Before I… before I was on the run," she said, deciding that she wasn't ready to tell him everything. She couldn't bear for him to hate her.

Jack raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue.

"He wasn't a good person, " She found herself saying; scenes from her past flickering against her closed eyelids, making her feel ill, "He's dead."

"Kate?" Jack prompted her when she stopped, knowing there was something else she had to say.

"We look like we're related, because we are." Kate continued quietly, looking back at Jack, "Hailey's father was my father. She's my half-sister, Jack."

_That I didn't see coming_, Jack thought, his eyebrows rising of their own volition.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Okay… so I cheated a little, this isn't _really_ Hailey's point of view. Well it is sort of, I just hate first person and couldn't stand writing it. Plus, I figured since Hailey's only three, she wasn't going to be able to give you the details you need… and there are a LOT of details, despite this being my shortest chapter in a while. If you have in trouble picking them up, just ask and I'll try to explain.

Also, my updates are probably going to slow down as I am going back to school next week. :-P

* * *

**Chapter 10

* * *

**

Hailey awoke in Claire's shelter to the sound of Aaron cooing happily. Yawning, she stretched a little and sat up on airplane seat she'd been sleeping on. Hailey started when she realised her bed was part of the plane.

Hailey didn't like planes; not anymore.

Hailey's mommy had always said flying was fun and that nothing bad was going to happen, and Hailey's mommy was never wrong about anything.

_But mommy was wrong about flying, _Hailey thought,_ Mommy was very wrong. Flying was bad, bad, bad. Flying was scary, and noisy, and the wind was scary, pulling people out of their seats and sucking them down, down, down to the ground. Sucking mommy down, down, down.…_ Hailey whimpered at the memory.

Planes were very, very bad.

"Hailey," Claire, the pretty lady who was Aaron's mommy, was talking to her, "Hey sweetie, how was your nap?"

Hailey liked Claire. Claire was nice, and she had pretty blonde hair like Hailey's mommy's hair. She liked Aaron too; he was so little. Hailey had never known anyone with a baby as little as Aaron.

"Good," Hailey replied softly, turning away to look around the shelter.

Hailey frowned. Where was Kate? Did the wind come and take her away too?

Hailey didn't want Kate to be gone. Kate made her feel safe. Mommy made Hailey feel safe, too… but mommy was gone. If Mommy was gone, Hailey wanted Kate. But where was she?

Just as Hailey felt like she was going to cry, she remembered Kate waking her up to say she was going to talk to someone. Hailey calmed down even more when she noticed that the sun was still up. Kate had said she would be back before it got dark. _She promised_, Hailey thought, relieved, _she promised, so she has to come back_._ I can be brave 'til then._

Satisfied that she hadn't been abandoned, Hailey turned back to Claire and Aaron.

---------

After a while, Hailey looked outside again. It was starting to get darker

Maybe Kate wasn't going to come back. Maybe Kate couldn't come back. Didn't she go in the jungle? If she went in there, maybe They took her away. Maybe They said Kate was special too and locked her up and wouldn't let her come back to Hailey. Maybe that's why she wasn't back yet.

"Hailey, are you okay?" asked Claire asked, kneeling down beside her.

"I want Kate," Hailey told Claire, trying not to cry at the thought of them taking Kate away from her.

Hailey didn't like Them… They were bad and mean and scary. They took her away from the people who had looked after her after the crash, and wouldn't let her go even when she screamed. At least not until the big girl. Hailey frowned… what was her name? She'd told Hailey her name once... _Alex. Alex was nice._ Hailey didn't think Alex belonged with them. She was different.

"Kate's will be back soon," Claire said in a comforting voice, "don't worry."

Hailey looked at Claire. Maybe Claire was right… after all, it wasn't really very dark yet. Hailey nodded but kept watching the jungle to see if Kate was coming yet.

---------

Kate left the hatch and started to head back to the beach. Noticing that the light was beginning to fade, Kate realised she must have been taken longer than she thought walking to the hatch and talking to Jack. Not to mention loitering outside the hatch hoping some miracle would occur and she wouldn't have to tell Jack about her past... even if it was that one part.

_There's still so much more he doesn't know…_ _that I'm not sure I could bear him knowing, _Kate thought.

As she picked her way through the jungle and back to the beach, Kate remembered that she had told Hailey she would be back before dark. Looking up at the sky through a gap in the treetops, Kate realised she would have to hurry. She quickly checked her direction and picked up some speed. _I hope she isn't worried..._

---------

Hailey watched as Kate emerged from the jungle a little way down the beach, looking a little puffed.

"Kate!" Hailey cried out happily and began running towards her before Claire had even noticed she was back.

Kate caught sight of Hailey and smiled as she walked over to meet her. As Hailey reached her, Kate squatted down and held out her arms to the child. Hailey launched herself into Kate's hug and held on tightly.

"Hey, kiddo," Kate greeted with a smile.

"Kate," Hailey said and hugged her adopted mother more tightly. _She came back_, Hailey thought to herself in relief. _She came back for me_!

* * *

TBC

* * *

**A/N:** Cookies to anyone who picked Hailey's little secret! 


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** surprise, surprise: I still don't own it!

**A/N:** This is just a little chap for you to read while I decide what will happen next.

* * *

**Chapter 11

* * *

**

Kate stood with her eyes closed breathing in the salty sea air as she wriggled her toes in the sand. Hand in hand beside her, Hailey was doing the same. _Sinking_. Kate thought with a smile.

The sunrise was staining the sky a beautiful orange and bathing the beach in soft orange light. Kate opened her eyes and looked down at the little girl at her side.

Hailey sensed that she was being watched and met Kate's eyes with a smile before bending down to inspect a shell on the sand in front of her.

"Kate," Hailey said suddenly as she stood back up, rubbing the smooth blue shell between her finger and thumb, "Are you going to be my Mommy now?"

"What?!?" Kate asked in surprise. _Where did that come from?_ Hailey looked up her with wide, innocent brown eyes.

"My Mommy went to play with the angels," Hailey told Kate a look of grief passing across her face as she spoke of her mother, "So she can't look af'er me any more, but you look af'er me like Mommy used to."

Kate fought to keep her jaw from dropping. _Are three-year-olds supposed to be this smart? What the heck can I say back to **that**? _Kate kneeled down in front of Hailey and stroked her cheek.

"Hailey, I-," Kate paused, struggling for words, "I'm not your Mommy… but, you know, I am your big sister."

"You are?" Hailey's eyes got big, "I didn't know I had a sister."

"I didn't know either," Kate said. Hailey looked pensive.

"Couldn't you be my Mommy too?" Hailey asked, looking up at Kate shyly, "I miss having a Mommy."

"Do you want me to be?" Kate asked curiously. Hailey nodded enthusiastically, staring intently at Kate.

"Don't worry, you'll be great!" Hailey assured her after a moment. Kate's eyes widened in surprise, _how did she…?_ _This kid's amazing._

"Okay," Kate smiled and pulled Hailey onto her lap. "I can be your Mommy."

"You're my Mommy-Kate," Hailey declared with a grin and snuggled into Kate, closing her eyes.

Kate wrapped her arms around Hailey and held her close; discretely wiping away a tear that had appeared on her cheek.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm thinking of wrapping this story up soon, so I can work on some other projects without feeling guilty about leaving Hailey in the lurch. Any suggestions/requests/ideas about how you want this to end? Eg, do you want a rescue? A marriage? Locke falling off a cliff? Sawyer turning coconut milk an alcoholic beverage? Seriously, I'll work in anything your heart desires (unless it is Skate-y). :-) 


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nani mo arimasu. I own nothing!

**A/N:** Hey peeps! I'm so happy; I've figured out a plan for the rest of this fic

* * *

**Chapter 12

* * *

**

A few days later, Kate and Hailey were walking hand-in-hand along the path into the jungle. Kate had been keeping Hailey close since she had been promoted to "Mommy" status… she couldn't help but feel worried. Worried about what she wasn't quite sure… Was she worried that something would happen to Hailey if she wasn't with her? That Hailey would feel abandoned if she left her with someone else? That if she didn't have Hailey where she could see her she might just disappear, never to be found again?

Well, for whatever reason, Kate found herself panicking at even the thought of being separated from Hailey. Hailey was the best thing to come into her life in years…_maybe ever_, she thought.

"Morning," A male voice startled Kate out of her thoughts. She spun around to face him, reflexively clutching Hailey's hand more tightly in her own.

"Jack," Kate said, relaxing as a grin spread across her face, "You scared me."

"Oops," A playful grin flashed across his lips as he caught up with them.

"You did that just to see me jump, didn't you?" Kate glared at him.

"I would never do such a thing," Jack replied with his best poker face. Kate looked almost as if she believed him until she caught the twinkling in his eyes.

"Ow!" Jack exclaimed theatrically when Kate hit his arm. Hailey giggled at him in amusement. Jack grinned at the little girl, "Did you see that Hailey? She hit me!"

"Baby," Kate taunted cheekily, "I barely laid a finger on you!"

"Baby?!" Jack pretended to be offended, "Why I oughtta…" Jack lunged at Kate who, unprepared for this, had no time to even think of moving.

Hailey's giggles gave way to full blown hysterical laughter as Jack swept Kate up off the ground and began tickling her with gusto. Kate wriggled violently in his arms, kicking the air and laughing herself to tears as she struggled to escape his clutches.

"Ja-ack!" she squealed.

"What's that Kate?" Jack teased the woman in his arms, "Are you telling me that you're ticklish?" Jack punctuated his sentence with further tickling.

"No!" Kate claimed sounding embarrassed, still squirming to get free.

"Oh, okay then," Jack nonchalantly before swinging her over his shoulder and tickling her sides.

"O-kay…Yes… I'm tick- ticklish" Kate admitted desperately through her laughter, "Stop! I- I can't br- breathe!"

"What do you reckon Hailey? Has Kate learnt her lesson?" Jack stopped and asked Hailey. Hailey nodded, grinning in a amusement at their childish behaviour.

"Okay then," Jack said, letting a puffed Kate slip to the ground. Kate took a minute to catch her breath, stepping away from Jack.

"Thanks," Kate said before grinning at Hailey and pointedly adding, "_Baby._"

Kate ran for it as soon as the word left her mouth, with Jack hot on her heels and Hailey laughing after them.

-----------------------------------

"So where are you two lovely ladies headed anyway?" Jack enquired, walking alongside them whilst the width of the path allowed him to do so. Things had calmed down after Jack and Kate had declared a truce, to Hailey's disappointment.

"We're going to get some food for lunch... you now those fruit trees off the path before the caves?" Jack nodded.

"I was just heading over to the hatch to grab some medication for the beach… I'll walk with you," Jack replied.

"Someone's sick?" Kate asked, frowning in concern.

"No," Jack assured her, "I'm just stocking up to be safe."

"Oh. Good," Kate nodded to herself, walking in step with Jack and keeping and eye on Hailey who was walking a little ahead of them.

They spent the rest of the walk in a comfortable silence, each occupied with their own thoughts

"Well…" Kate broke the silence as they reached her destination, "I guess I'll see you later."

"Oh," Jack said, reluctantly remembering what he was supposed to be doing, "Right. Bye Kate."

"Bye Jack!" Hailey said smiling up at him. Jack could help the grin that spread across his face.

"Goodbye Hailey," Jack replied. He smiled at Kate once more before leaving.

-----------------------------------

Kate collected fruit from the trees and bushes while Hailey happily played nearby. Every so often, Kate would look over to check on her little charge then, finding nothing to worry about, she smiled and turned back to her work.

Hailey found plenty of things to amuse herself, as is typical of small children. She played in the dirt and built little houses out of sticks and leaves. Just as she had completed her little village, a brightly coloured butterfly landed on her arm.

"Hello!" Hailey whispered to the butterfly, "You're pretty."

She watched, entranced, as the creature fluttered its red and blue wings and flew lazily off. Hailey rose to her feet and began to follow it.

"Butterfly!" she called, "Come back butterfly!"

She followed the butterfly around trees and bushes, calling after it hopefully. In the end she had to give up her quest because the butterfly flew up into the canopy of the jungle where she had no hope of following it.

Hailey pouted in disappointment and turned around to head back to Kate. It was then she realised that the jungle looked equally thick in every direction.

"Kate?" Hailey called out, hopefully. There was no reply. "Kate?!"

Her lower lip began to tremble as she realised that she was completely and utterly was lost. Hailey looked fearfully around, suddenly feeling very alone. A twig snapped somewhere nearby.

"Mommy!" Hailey screamed.

* * *

**A/N: **ducks for cover 


	13. Chapter 13, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nani mo arimasu. I own nothing!

**A/N:** I'm studying for exams at the moment, but I wanted to put something up so this part's pretty tiny. I'll post the rest when I get time to write it… probably in a couple of weeks.

* * *

Kate hummed to herself contentedly as she worked. Island life really wasn't so bad once you got used to it. No traffic, no bosses, fresh air, sunshine and no cops to run from… Kate was beginning to feel like an ordinary person. Sometimes she even forgot she was a bad person; a murderer. And that wasn't half bad.

Kate turned around to check on Hailey again. Her heart jumped when she found the little girl was no longer playing with her miniature village, as she had been doing quite happily for the past half hour.

"Hailey?" Kate called looking around in confusion. Hailey had been sitting near that fallen tree trunk just five minutes earlier when she had last checked on her.

Kate absently dropped her full pack to the ground and looked around the clearing, hoping that Hailey was just behind a bush or tree, playing hide and seek, but the more she looked, the more apparent it became that Hailey wasn't hiding, wasn't playing a game.

A familiar tightness gripped Kate's chest, much more strongly than it ever had before. Kate struggled to keep her breathing even and to think rationally, and for a few seconds she was almost succeeding. But then the mental paralysis started to ease and Kate began to think…

_She's gone. _

Kate breathing became faster and shallower, and she began to feel decidedly ill. She spun around, looking for any evidence as to which way Hailey went, or was taken. Footprints, a broken twig, anything.

_Concentrate Kate,_ she told herself.

Just then, another thought went through Kate's mind, one that pushed her right over the edge, into full-blown panic.

_I lost her. I'm never going to see her again._

With that in mind, Kate did what she always did when something went wrong, when she couldn't handle it.

She ran.

* * *

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 13, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nani mo arimasu. I own nothing!

**A/N:** Hey guys, here is the second part of chap 13, finally. A bit angsty, but I think you might like it. :-)

* * *

Jack walked along the track, absent-mindedly staring at the scuff marks left by dozens of trips to and from the beach. He wondered if Kate and Hailey had gone back to the beach yet. Perhaps he would drop by the clearing and see.

A sudden sound caught Jack's attention. He quickly turned to face the jungle to his left, where the sound had originated. Something struck him full on, and instinctively he wrapped his arms around it as he struggled not to lose his balance. It struggled wildly in his arms, trying to break free. Jack was struck by a feeling of déjà vu.

"Kate?!" he asked in surprise and confusion, tightening his hold on the brunette so she couldn't hit him, "Kate?"

She went limp against him as she recognised his voice and shocked him further by bursting into tears.

"Kate, Kate, what's wrong?" Jack asked her, scared by her reaction.

"…knew it. I knew it! Good things never happen to bad people, I knew it wouldn't last… it's all my fault!" Kate muttered through her sobs, her voice breaking.

"Kate, what's wrong? What's your fault?" Jack asked in confusion. Suddenly he realised something. "Kate… where's Hailey?"

"I lost her Jack!" Kate told him desperately as she tried to pull out of his arms. "I lost her and I couldn't find her... oh God… it's not her fault… and she's out there all on her own. She's so little, and I was supposed to look after and screwed it up. I never should of…" Kate's increasingly hysterical rambling was interrupted by her sobs. "I shouldn't have loved her. She would have been safe if I hadn't loved her."

"Kate, Katie, you're not making any sense. You have to calm down," Jack told her, gripping her upper arms, "What happened to Hailey?"

"I don't know! I just turned around and she was gone!"

"It's okay, we'll find her," Jack said, "she's only a little girl, she can't have gone far." Kate shook her head in denial.

"No, she's gone! We'll never find her. Her father's dead and she's gone and it's all my fault!" Kate cried and ripped free from Jack's grasp. Jack caught her by her left wrist.

"Kate, it's not your fault, she's prob-"

"It IS!" Kate interrupted him, "It is my fault, I killed him!"

"What? Who?" Jack asked, confused.

"Her father. My father!" Kate told him, fresh tears running down her face, "I blew him up! I killed my father, Jack, do you understand me? I killed him in cold blood, and I'm not sorry! My own mother hates me. I'm a heartless murderer, I'm a bad person! I'll never see Hailey again, because I don't deserve to, I don't deserve her… I'm not good enough!" With that, she yanked her wrist out of his shock-loosened hold and turned away from him.

"You're not a bad person," Jack said abruptly, stopping her in her tracks.

"What?" Kate half-turned around, in surprise. She had definitely not been expecting that.

"You're not a bad person," he repeated clearly, pinning her with his eyes.

"Jack-" she started.

"You're not," he interrupted her, insistently, "No matter what you say you did. I don't know everything about you or what you've done… maybe I don't know much at all, in the scheme of things… But I know you, Kate, and you are _not _a bad person." Kate gaped at him speechlessly.

"You deserve Hailey more than anyone else in the world. We _will_ find Hailey, Kate. I promise you that." Jack said sincerely.

Kate stared at him in disbelief. He had just brushed off her deepest, darkest, most horrible secret like it was… like it was forgivable! She had told him, and he was still standing there, looking at her as if…

Suddenly Kate did something neither of them was expecting. She took three steps forward, threw her arms around Jack's neck, and kissed him.

* * *

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 14

_"You deserve Hailey more than anyone else in the world. We will find Hailey, Kate. I promise you that." Jack said sincerely._

_Kate stared at him in disbelief. He had just brushed off her deepest, darkest, most horrible secret like it was… like it was forgivable! She had told him, and he was still standing there, looking at her as if…_

_Suddenly Kate did something neither of them was expecting. She took three steps forward, threw her arms around Jack's neck, and kissed him._

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Jack's arms wound around Kate's waist, in a mostly unconscious attempt to keep her from repeating her previous running act. When she ended the kiss, he kept them locked around her; preventing her from pulling back.

Kate tensed briefly before letting out a breath and lifting her head to meet his eyes. For a long moment, she just looked at him. Jack couldn't read the expression she was wearing, but the lone tear still clinging to her cheek was begging to be wiped away. Jack raised a hand to cup her face, and ran his thumb over her cheek to erase the tear. The gentle, affectionate gesture broke her silence:

"Thank you," she whispered, her words heavy with sincerity. Jack smiled at her as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Ready?" he asked after a pause in which he remembered why she was here in the first place. He spotted a flash of anxiety returning to her eyes as she nodded in confirmation.

Kate took a deep, if shaky, breath in before taking Jack's hand in strong grip and leading them back to the clearing where she had last seen Hailey.

* * *

Kate and Jack, still hand-in-hand, walked on in silence, Kate's eye's focused on the trail before them. Jack watched her painfully stiff face with concern as they kept looking. He knew she was trying not to cry again.

"Katie!" A sweet little voice sang out to them, causing both adults to spin around. "Jack!" Emerging from the undergrowth was the slightly ruffled and tear-stained brunette child they were looking for, cheerfully chattering away. "Katie, there was a butterfly in my village and I followed her 'cause she was pretty but she flew too high and I couldn't fly after her and then I thought I was lost but I found you so–"

A strangled sob broke from Kate's throat as she broke through her shock to fly forward and sweep the little girl up into her arms. Hailey's story truncated with a surprised squeak due to the tight hug she was caught up in. Kate buried her face and an incoherent stream of comforting sounds in Hailey's curls. Jack couldn't decide who they were actually meant for, Hailey, or Kate herself.

Kate briefly loosened her hold on Hailey to crouch before her and frantically check her over for any sort of injury.

"I'm okay Mommy," Hailey told Kate, realising what was wrong, "It's alright. I'm okay."

"I thought you were gone," Kate whispered.

"I'm not gone," Hailey said, "I'm here. I'm sorry I scared you."

"I'm sorry," Kate said, "I'm supposed to look after you, I'm sorry."

"You _do_ look after me," Hailey emphasised, wrapping her thin arms around Kate's neck, "You _do_. You look after me real good."

Kate hugged her close again, and carried her back over to Jack, who had been standing back, quietly observing the reunion.

"She's okay Jack," Kate said softly.

"I know," Jack smiled, "I'm glad."

The ghost of a smile showed on Kate's face as she repeated, "She's okay."

Jack just smiled at her again, before pulling the pair into a hug. They were all okay, and that was the best any of them could ask for.

* * *

**A/N:** Bet you thought I'd never update, huh? Well… sorry it took so long, and sorry if this chapter sucked, but I just HAD to finish this story.


End file.
